Uber Eats Introduces New Features for Food Allergy Safety
Uber Eats has responded to feedback from the food allergy community by rolling out new features aimed at making their service safer for individuals with food allergies. These updates, announced on May 28, include:
Restaurant Allergy Disclaimers: Each restaurant's detail page now clearly states whether or not they can accommodate food allergies, this is important to know before placing an order.
Special Instructions Field: A dedicated field for allergy-related requests allows consumers to specify their allergies. Customers can select from a list of common allergens or add custom entries, which will be saved to their account for future orders.
Direct Communication: Consumers can call restaurants directly to discuss their food allergies, provided the restaurant accepts phone calls. This direct line of communication is intended to reduce errors and ensure that allergy information is properly conveyed.
While these features are a step in the right direction, there are still some concerns. Ensuring that the food preparers receive and acknowledge the allergy information remains a challenge. I recommend to ALWAYS call and not rely on disclaimers and the text field. The effectiveness of these new features largely depends on the merchant's understanding of food allergies and their training in accommodating dietary restrictions... something that as a society, needs a LOT of work! Uber Eats does not guarantee that all merchants meet these standards.
If you have any doubt in the restaurants practices - then opt for a different option. Even if you have been to a restaurant before, be sure to ASK ABOUT ALLERGENS EVERY TIME!
I commend Uber Eats for taking these steps to improve safety for the food allergy community and encourage further efforts to ensure all participating merchants are adequately trained and aware of the importance of properly handling food allergies. If you have used this feature from Uber Eats, please send me a message at lindsay@thefoodallergyprofessor.com and let me know how it went for you!
If you are interested in working with me and talking about your families specific needs please reach out here.
